


tongue-tied disservice

by howshouldibegin



Series: big teeth small kiss [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Miscommunication, Missed Chances, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 01:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11048103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/howshouldibegin/pseuds/howshouldibegin
Summary: Open lines of communication could make or break what could be a great partnering, even if it was just for a night.  Shiro was big on being honest and open with whoever he was seeing at the time.With Ulaz, he felt like it could be something big, something long term, and Shiro would be lying if he said he wasn't already a little in love with Ulaz.





	tongue-tied disservice

**Author's Note:**

> Fills the Misunderstanding slot of Uliro Week 2017
> 
> All titles for this series come from [btsk by MS MR](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx7afw6CmYc).
> 
> Reason for Major Character Death in end notes.

“What hope do you see in the future for our relationship?”

Shiro had had his share of relationships in the past. Many casual flings and a few friends with benefits, and a couple longer-term relationships. Only one or two really serious ones, in his later years in high school. Before the Galaxy Garrison ate up all his spare time and attention, and maintaining a relationship became a loftier goal than graduating. Most Garrison cadets were like that, accepting it at their sacrifice to achieving their dreams. One-night stands and casual flings were the norm there. 

But Shiro liked to know his partners' expectations when entering a new relationship. Open lines of communication could make or break what could be a great partnering, even if it was just for a night. Shiro was big on being honest and open with whoever he was seeing at the time.

With Ulaz, he felt like it could be something big, something long term, and Shiro would be lying if he said he wasn't already a little in love with Ulaz.

Ulaz looked at Shiro evenly, a little puzzled. “I see the potential for a great alliance between the Paladins of Voltron and the Blade of Marmora,” he said. “I hope that it will come to pass; my leader and yours are very similarly natured, but I believe neither of them will allow their stubbornness to interfere with greater goals.”

Shiro let out an amused noise. “No, not that, I mean, yes, I hope for all that too, but I meant us.”

“I do not understand what you are asking, Shiro.”

Shiro inhaled deeply, and tried to fight back the embarrassed flush from rising on his face. “I mean you and me, in a relationship going forward from here. Are we going to be two allies who have sex together sometimes, and nothing more? Or are we going to be something a little more committed? Can we even be anything together?”

Ulaz was silent for a moment as he considered Shiro's words. Shiro tried not to fidget, waiting for an answer.

“I am not sure if you are using human colloquialisms or not,” he finally said, “but we may have different expectations of the result of this day.”

Shiro's heart sank. He should have expected this. It was just sex, just a one-off thing, and here he was making a fool out of himself, putting too much out there, too soon. He knew it was just endorphins, oxytocin flooding the brain and trying to create lasting partnerships. Who knew if the Galra had anything even remotely resembling romantic relationships. Shiro didn't, that was for sure. Captivity on a Galra cruiser for the better part of a year didn't exactly give him a stunning overview of Galra culture and norms. While Ulaz had mentioned his mother and his father, he hadn't mentioned any union between them. Maybe they didn't pair off monogamously, or polygamously, or at all beyond sex. 

Maybe Ulaz's expectations of not surviving the duration of this war were right. And of course, romance had no place in war. They had duties, expectations piled on their shoulders, such different roles in this war that it wasn't likely they'd work together much from here on out. A communications base and its personnel were stationary by necessity, as opposed to Voltron, who had to be quick and never in the same spot for too long by necessity. Any deviations would be a weakness to be exploited: the base couldn't move, the Castle couldn't visit the same place repeatedly.

But never let it be said that Shiro was a coward, even from highly uncomfortable conversations. 

“Do Galra not pair off romantically? Humans do. I mean, we can have sex outside of romantic relationships, but the two usually go together for us.”

Ulaz sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the cot. Shiro pushed himself up into a sitting position as well, unsure of where he should be, or even where he was going, pushing Ulaz like this. Ulaz's body language was visibly closing off, the exact opposite of what Shiro wanted, but he didn't want any misunderstandings.

Ulaz didn't look at Shiro as he replied. “I cannot speak to other Galra, but I do not enter romantic pairings.”

Shiro wondered if the environment of the Garrison had warped his understanding and ability to even have a real relationship anymore. He would blame it on the Arena, but those months in the Persephone and a few offhand remarks earned Shiro a few odd looks from Commander Holt. He'd blame the Arena on his sense of timing, though, usually Shiro would have this conversation over and done with before having sex, so everyone was on the same page. God knows he lost any skill he might have once had at navigating the potential landmines that had just blindsided him.

“Sure,” Shiro said, trying for casually assuring but he had a feeling he missed that mark. 

Ulaz glanced back at Shiro, who smiled at Ulaz, still trying for reassuring, but he saw the way the fluff on the top of Ulaz's crest flare up a little. Hackles raised, then. Shiro broke the mood, now he had to try and soothe it in what little time they had left.

“No, yeah, I get it. Not the time or place, and not for us.” He scooted to the edge of the cot and snagged his undersuit, moving to get dressed and provide a barrier between them again. He heard Ulaz doing the same, the rustling of unfamiliar textiles and clicks of Shiro's armour latches occupying the air between them.

“Shiro,” Ulaz said, his voice softly beseeching. 

Shiro grabbed his helmet, and without turning to face Ulaz, said, “We should get back to the communications deck. The return message from your leadership should be arriving soon.”

“Of course.”

Dressed and armed once again, they made their way back to the communications deck. Hunk and Pidge jumped away from whatever they were poking away at on one console, guilt obvious on their faces, but Keith had been staring at the gravity generator, disinterested in their activities, and Ulaz didn't seem too perturbed by their curiosity, so they must not have been able to get too far into anything. 

Hunk's guilty expression dropped almost immediately, peering at Shiro. “Uh, you've got . . .” he said, pointing to his own neck.

Shiro ignored him. He also ignored Keith's rapid interest in what was going on, eyes zeroing in on whatever had Hunk's attention, then turning to glare heatedly at Ulaz.

“Just a little something . . . ,” Hunk tried again.

“Leave it, Hunk,” Pidge hissed, elbowing Hunk in the side.

Shiro would have to thank Ulaz later for the presumably giant hickey on his neck that wasn't hidden by his armour. That was great, just what he wanted. Marks where people could see them. 

He tuned back in to the others as Ulaz's voice rose, snarling at Hunk that the Blade of Marmora had people putting their lives on the line as well. Pidge tried to defuse the rising tempers in the room by asking about her family, to which Ulaz had only a little hope to offer, but Shiro knew she'd grab onto that little hope tighter than Pandora. Keith asked about Ulaz's blade, and Shiro could see the way Ulaz's hackles rose when Keith was absently dismissive. Shiro knew Keith, had for a long time now, and he knew that Keith was a shit liar, and when he was trying to hide something. Nothing to be done but to let him bring it up in his own time, but Shiro knew he should probably step forward to soothe all the frayed tempers. Frustrations were mounting, and they couldn't afford to lose such a great potential ally.

Red lights flashed as soon as Shiro stepped forward, and then followed the alarms, the ro-beast, the accusations flung fast and thick, and in the midst of it all, Ulaz trusting Shiro enough to give him the coordinates to the Blade of Marmora headquarters.

And then, no more time to say anything at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Major Character Death is Ulaz, as happens in canon.
> 
> This is short and I wasn't really feeling it, but I needed Ulaz's hackles up for the flow back into canon. :/
> 
> Also, this is the last part that occurs within S02E03 Shiro's Escape.
> 
> (Psst, demiromantic Ulaz, y/y? I kinda wrote this one last aside from all the sex bits, so the demirom!Ulaz thing kind of just snuck up on me and I'm running with it.)


End file.
